Emotional eating has little to do with real physical hunger. The difference between the two can be summed up in the following, put together by the University of Texas Counseling and Mental Health Center:

Emotional hunger comes on suddenly; physical hunger occurs gradually.

When you are eating to fill a void that isn't related to an empty stomach, you crave a specific food, such as pizza or ice cream, and only that food will meet your need. When you eat because you are actually hungry, you're open to options.

Emotional hunger feels like it needs to be satisfied instantly with the food you crave; physical hunger can wait.

Even when you are full, if you're eating to satisfy an emotional need, you're more likely to keep eating. When you're eating because you're hungry, you're more likely to stop when you're full.

Emotional eating can leave behind feelings of guilt; eating when you are physically hungry does not.

You ask about how to stop comfort eating, and there’s simply no one single answer. So much depends on the motivating factor at the heart of this kind of struggle. But spending a few sessions with a counselor can be helpful.

In the meantime, however, I have one suggestion that has produced some great results for people who struggle with this issue. I used to recommend this to patients years ago and continue to suggest this approach with those I interact with today. It takes a bit of imagination, but if you really put your heart into this, it can make a significant difference in what you choose to eat.

Imagine that your body is like a helpless, innocent young child. This is even more powerful if you’re a parent and have had to care for an infant. If you don’t have children, you can substitute a beloved pet instead.

To a large degree, your body is like a child or pet, as it has no choice but to accept everything that you do to it and put into it.

With that in mind, I suggest you feed and care for your body just like you would feed and care for your child or dear pet.

Imagine that everything you put into your mouth is also going into the mouth of your child or pet. I’m willing to bet that you’d never even consider feeding your child or pet something you knew was unhealthy. Am I right? Of course I’m right, because the responsible and loving part of you would never do intentional harm to a child or pet.

If you’re able to perform these basic mental gymnastics, you can put yourself in a different frame of mind. This new frame of mind will create new thoughts which, in turn, will give birth to new behaviors.

I like to call this imagery technique eating for two, because it causes you to pause and think before you grab and eat.

When all is said and done, there’s no single way to address comfort eating. Since it can be the result of deep emotional issues, anyone struggling with this would benefit from a few sessions with a therapist schooled in this area.

In the meantime, give my eating for two imagery activity an honest try for two full weeks and see if you don’t notice a big difference.